Actor Michael Shannon returns to Chicago stage in 'Turret' at Chopin Theatre

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Michael Shannon credits his time on the Chicago stage for teaching him how to act, and he's back home to prove it.

The two-time Oscar nominee is starring in a new play from A Red Orchid Theatre, which he co-founded over three decades ago.

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Shannon and castmate Travis A. Knight told ABC7's Hosea Sanders about the world premiere of "Turret," which is getting outstanding reviews.

"It's set in the future where most of humanity has been wiped out by this race of humanoid that the government created that turned on us," Shannon said. "So we're survivors, when there aren't many left.

Two men, hunkered down in a bunker, while something, someone horrifying, is lurking in the world outside. Green, the elder, and Rabbit, the anxious student, and they only have each other.

Shannon, who plays Green, and Knight, who plays Rabbit, spoke about why they were both attracted to the wild story.

"The idea of just passing the knowledge you have to another generation, passing the love you have to the next generation, and the sense of hope that accompanies youth even in the most dire circumstances," Shannon said.

"It's something you can't help but wonder about, if you were in that situation, how would you behave, where would you find your hope, your inspiration to keep going, no matter what the cost," Knight said.

"Turret" is being staged at the Chopin Theatre in West Town. A Red Orchid's intimate, Old Town space is too small for ticket demand when movie star Michael Shannon is in town.

"Everyday I come to work and I learn something new and I get to be on stage with someone who is one of the greatest to ever do it," Knight said. "There's an intensity there that is unrivaled and truly intoxicating, to be on stage with and it's truly a marvel."

In the middle of that, there's always some humor.

"Yeah... I think that's kind of how life is, you can find humor in the most intense circumstances, sometimes I find myself getting giggly in really inappropriate situations," Shannon said. "That's why humor exists, to help us cope with difficulties of being alive."

Shannon knows that his theatre gets a big boost when he appears.

"Chicago is where I started acting, the whole trajectory of my career," Shannon said. "I wouldn't have gotten any of the opportunities that I've had if I hadn't started out doing this work. It's a home and you never want to lose that, no matter how successful you get, there's nothing more important than that. That's my responsibility for the theatre, to the theatre to give back what it's given me."

"Turret" had its run was extended through June 22, due to popular demand. Shannon will appear through June 16.